Céline Boutier Ends Winless Drought in Come-From-Behind Victory at ShopRite LPGA Classic

The 32-year-old Frenchwoman fired a final-round 66 for a one-stroke win as world No. 252 Soo Bin Joo fell short of a Cinderella victory.

Celine Boutier earned her first win since 2023 at the ShopRite LPGA. | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

This was perhaps supposed to be the Cinderella story of the season.

World No. 252 Soo Bin Joo, who has just one pro win on the Epson Tour, held the 54-hole lead by four strokes at the ShopRite LPGA Classic in Galloway Township, N.J.

However, Céline Boutier would instead snatch the trophy.

The 32-year-old Frenchwoman fired a final-round 66 for a one-stroke victory over Arpichaya Yubol. It was Boutier’s first LPGA win since 2023, a year in which she won four times, including a major in her home country.

“It’s definitely not what I expected, but it’s always good to be back, like you said,” said Boutier, who also won the ShopRite in 2021. “I feel like I have some good memories and I’ve met some cool people throughout the years, so it's been fun to come back. And then have a chance to win today is definitely something very special.”

Celine Boutier knocked in the quick par putt after this phenomenal pitch shot 💪

Watch live on Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/bs3RRp0XoS

— LPGA (@LPGA) May 31, 2026

In 2025, Boutier had five top 10s in 23 starts. And she continued to struggle at the start of this season, with a T41 as best finish in her first five starts. However, she appeared to begin an upward trajectory ahead of this weekend’s tournament with four consecutive top 25 finishes.

Now, she’s a winner again.

“I feel like I played solid the last two years,” she said. “Even though I didn’t get a win, I finished second a couple times last year, so there were good seasons even though there weren’t wins. It was a bit frustrating, and then this season I started off really slow; kind of struggled a lot of first half.

“So I’m very happy. I feel like my game has turned around the last few weeks. I could see it coming together, and I definitely did not expect it to come together this week and today, but I’m super excited to be back in the winner's circle.”

As for Joo, she shot a final-round 73 and finished T4. It wasn’t all doom and gloom afterward, though.

“It was so fun,” the 22-year-old Korean said. “It was my first time leading the tournament, and I think I did my best out there as much as I can and I prepared well and I’m very proud of myself.  

“More to come.”

But instead, Boutier will have a little extra confidence heading into next week’s U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera.

“It would be iconic,” she said. “I think it's going to be very different setup to this week, so I am really looking forward to getting there and seeing the courses and the setup and try to prepare as well as I can for the next week. Very excited for the challenge.”